Obama Vows to Boost Veterans Care

MASON CITY, Iowa -- Democrat Barack Obama on Friday pledged better care for America's veterans if elected president.

Obama, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, promised improved medical care and an end to delays of disability claims. He proposed hiring more workers to handle claims, and making veterans' medical records electronic so they can be easily reached.

"As president, I won't stand for hundreds of thousands of veterans waiting for benefits," he told a crowd of about 300 people at a community college in northern Iowa.

On Friday, Obama also began running a new TV ad in Iowa, focusing on his early opposition to the war in Iraq. The ad features an endorsement from former Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, the former chief of staff of the Air Force. McPeak, who supported Bob Dole's Republican presidential bid in 1996 and George Bush's in 2000, has been a longtime critic of the Iraq War.

"Judgment is what we need from our next commander in chief," McPeak says in the 30-second ad. "Barack Obama opposed this war in Iraq from the start, showing insight and courage others did not. And he's our best hope to restore our security and standing in today's world. The old Washington hands have let us down. We need a new leader to lift America."

The ad comes a day after Obama caused a stir by remarking that he no longer wears an American flag lapel pin because it has become a substitute for "true patriotism" since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Campaign manager David Plouffe said the McPeak ad had been scheduled to begin Friday and was not timed to defuse any fallout from Obama's flag pin remarks.

McPeak, speaking to reporters on a teleconference call, dismissed the flag pin issue as "the old gotcha politics."

"The American people are wise enough to understand the difference between petty symbolism and real substance, real courage, real judgment, which is what Barack brings to this ball game," McPeak said.

The Illinois senator outlined his plan for veterans after recent reports showed that the Department of Veterans Affairs has lagged in making improvements to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The government is investigating the hospital due to disclosures of roach-infested conditions and shoddy outpatient care.

Obama said it's not enough to make a speech on Veteran's Day or lay a wreath on Memorial Day.

"When a veteran is denied health care, we're all dishonored," he said. "When 400,000 veterans are stuck on a waiting list for claims, we need a new sense of urgency in this country."